TERRORISMO: UM SACO

 DE GATOS FURIOSOS...

Desde o "09.11" que parece ter-se desatado um saco de gatos furiosos. Mais furiosos a cada dia que passa... Exacerbação dos tradicionais conflitos entre estados da zona islâmica, de Marrocos até ao Bangla-Desh e de que a corrida ao nuclear é só um dos aspectos, ódios crescentes entre comunidades xiitas e sunitas numa vasta área geográfica em que as fronteiras de sangue e de fé não coincidem com as dos estados, reaparecimento em força do velho KGB a pretexto do terrorismo islâmico no interior da URSS, perdão da Russia, e mesmo entre velhos aliados ocidentais o acentuar de fissuras entre europeus (sobretudo os da "Europa francesa") e americanos e ainda o uso da guerra como arma de arremesso de democratas contra republicanos nos USA... É muita coisa para ser resolvida em pouco tempo! Daí que se possa perspectivar a "guerra do terrorismo" como um ou o aspecto principal da mudança de modelo global, tanto geopolitico como geoeconómico. Ou seja, esta "guerra do terrorismo" é o processo de aceder a um mundo que será totalmente novo e bastante diferente. Veja-se  a evolução recente:

Um dos mapas da "Diplomatie"...

" Musharraf's Inability to Control Pakistani Air Force is a Sign of Weakness

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

A new article on Adnkronos International by Syed Saleem Shahzad provides a glimpse of Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf's weakness. After last week's bomb blasts in Islamabad and Peshawar, Musharraf asked Pakistan's air force to carry out a strike on Islamabad's largest madrassa. Two of the Pakistani Taliban's leading ideologues, Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and Maulana Abdul Aziz, are holed up there.

Shahzad reports:

[S]ources told AKI that Musharraf reportedly told a gathering of senior officials at a meeting in Rawalpindi: "I don't want them in federal capital. If you are unable to arrest them . . . shoot them." Those attending reportedly disagreed categorically with the idea of an air strike in the capital city, and pointed out that the students of the influential clerics have already staged a powerful protest in the past few days against the demolition of two mosques in Islamabad and they are a force to be reckoned with.

In other words, Musharraf asked the air force to carry out a strike in Pakistan's capital city, and they refused to do so. According to a senior U.S. military intelligence source that I spoke with, the reason Musharraf asked the air force to carry out the strike is because Pakistan's army had already refused to raid the mosque. The source said that this further demonstrates the problem with Pakistan's security services: they are too close to the fundamentalists, such that Musharraf cannot exert full control over his military.

Which brings to mind a chilling thought: if Musharraf is unable to order an air strike in his own capital city, how can he control his nuclear arsenal?

January 30, 2007 07:28 PM   Link     TrackBack (0)     Print

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"  New Anti-Terrorism Caucus Formed in U.S. House

By Zeyno Baran

Today at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Representative Sue Myrick (R-NC), along with Representatives Bud Cramer (D-AL), Kay Granger (R-TX), and Ben Chandler (D-KY) formally announced they have formed a new bipartisan Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus. Myrick, Cramer, Granger, and Chandler are the co-chairs of the new caucus.

The Caucus mission statement states that it "serves to educate Members of Congress, their staff and the general public about the threats to our country that are fueled by extremist ideologies. The Caucus recognizes that terrorism is not a Democrat or Republican problem; it is a critical issue for all Americans. To this end, the Caucus will facilitate an educational process and healthy exchange of ideas in a bipartisan setting."

Focus on the threat from "extremist ideologies" is much-needed and long-overdue. The new Caucus will meet in the coming months to hear from leading experts on issues such as terrorist financing and their use of the internet.

In her press release, Representative Sue Myrick states, "Terrorists don't target Democrats or Republicans. They target Americans, and this is why we must face this issue as Americans… Members of Congress and the American public must know the threats we face from radical jihadist terrorists. This caucus will give Congress the tools and resources it needs to communicate those threats to the public, as well as help them make more informed decisions when it comes to terrorist issues…. This caucus is long overdue, and I'm glad we are doing this. Americans have desired to know what is really going on and what it means to them. My hope is that this caucus will be able to spur on an educated national dialogue on this issue so that we can unite as Americans did during World War II."

Read More » 

January 30, 2007 05:07 PM   Link     TrackBack (0)     Print

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" Europe Resists U.S. Push to Curb Iran Ties

By STEVEN R. WEISMAN

The resistance threatens to open a new rift between Europe and the United States over Iran...

"  Redirecting Iraq's campaign

By Walid Phares

In short, President George W. Bush's plan for "redirecting" the Iraq campaign is logical, in line with the war on terror and targets the correct enemies of Iraq, of democracies and of the United States. But the plan needs to fit within a global vision of winning the global conflict with the lJihadists, on a long term policy, win the support of the new Congress, and be well-explained to the American people by the various levels of the Administration. This is where the beef is. On the other hand, the response by the Democratic led Congress as stated by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is also logical, touches sensitive issues if the Iraq battlefield, and lays out the normal outcome of a strategic success, that is the return of the troops. So are the White House and Congress in harmony? We will see. Both have advanced what is essentially logical. The President challenge is to make sure his bureaucracy follows him thoroughly, and the Congress' challenge is to make sure the American public sees the big picture the legislators are not revealing yet for the future. Let's wait and see how Washington's new dual approach will fare in the very near future.

Following are quick comments on the main relevant points in the President's speech and the Democratic response immediately the announcements.